Return to the airstrip for your flight to Nairobi connecting to a flight to the Maasai Mara. No other place on earth compares with the multitudes of wild animals in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, part of the vast Serengeti ecosystem spanning Kenya and Tanzania. During the summer months (approx July – September) the Great Migration comprised of 1.5 million wildebeest and several hundred thousand zebra make the Maasai Mara their home. These enormous congregations of animals provide sustenance to a myriad of predators including lion, cheetah, leopard, and hyena. Visit the Mara or the Talek River to see pods of hippos and huge crocodiles, and if you’re lucky watch as a herd of wildebeest and zebra tries to run across the river, avoiding the snapping jaws of hungry crocodiles within.
Our base is Mara Plains Camp, located in the Olare Orok Conservacy, which shares a border with the Maasai Mara Reserve. The Olare Orok Conservancy is an initiative that addresses both community upliftment and wildlife conservation on Maasai-owned land on Maasai Mara Game Reserve’s northern border. We explore the private conservancy and the greater reserve area through game drives in 4WD land rovers and walking safaris. To maximize the activities of each day we set out early and have a picnic breakfast in the bush followed by a game drive. During the afternoons, when wildlife is least active, we rest at camp and then take an afternoon game drive culminating with drinks around the fire followed by a sumptuous dinner. Overnights Mara Plains Camp.
Optional activity: Maasai Mara Hot Air Ballooning
Before dawn you’ll be picked up for the drive to the launch site where you’ll meet your pilot, receive a briefing and watch the inflation of your balloon. Take off at dawn, rising with the sun. Float in whichever direction the winds of the morning take you. The balloon ride offers a unique perspective and great photographic opportunities of the wildlife below. The flight is about one hour depending on wind conditions. Celebrate after landing in the traditional manner with champagne before sitting down to a full English breakfast prepared and served in the bush in ‘Out of Africa’ style with bone china, linen table cloths, and King’s silver. We suggest you book in advance, as space is limited. $475 per person.